You Won't Believe You're Reading This

Uncompassionate Conservatism
Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, leader of Israel's ultra-orthodox political party, told the cabinet on Aug. 6 the 6 million Jews killed in the Nazi Holocaust "were reincarnations of the souls of sinners, people who transgressed and did all sorts of things which should not be done." Source: AP/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/7//00
Girls Walk In Fear
Posha Wani, a 12-year-old Moslem schoolgirl, was recently shot and hit in both legs while walking with her mother in Delhi, the capital of Kashmir. Shooting women in "lewd" garb is a trademark of Talibanesque fundamentalists. Although in great pain, she is expected to walk again. Source: [London] Times, 6/3/00
Gays Walk In Fear
Gay vicar Fr. Neil Follett, 50, fled his new parish in St. Paul's, Knightbridge, after a campaign of blackmail and intimidation began over his sexuality. Source: Daily Telegraph [U.K.], 7/1/00
Thou Shalt Discriminate
British church leaders are raising cain over a European directive to prevent employment discrimination on the basis of religion and sexual orientation. Source: [London] Times, 6/30/00
Not Dog's Best Friend
The Qods daily reports at least 3 dozen dogs a day are being killed in Tehran, Iran, with 1,000 dogs exterminated during July alone. The Islam belief system regards dogs as impure. Source: Earthweek, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 8/7/00
Mexican Dark Ages?
Legislators in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico, voted to prohibit abortion in cases of rape, raising concern over the church influence of newly elected Mexican president Vicente Fox. A 14-year-old rape victim gave birth to a baby in April, after doctors at a government hospital in the state of Baja California earlier refused to perform an abortion. Source: AP/San Antonio Express-News, 8/5/00
That's Pro-Life?
Abortion physician Gary Ramalis, M.D., who was previously shot by a sniper, was in good condition after being viciously stabbed by a suspected antiabortion terrorist in Vancouver, British Columbia. Source: Globe and Mail, 7/19/00
Who Are The Bigots?
The U.S. House's Appropriation Committee, chaired by Rep. Ernest Istook, Jr., attacked the District of Columbia Council for "bigotry" against the Catholic Church. The Council rejected a church-promoted "conscience clause" exemption allowing health insurers not to pay for contraceptives for women. Source: AP, 7/12/00
Clones Only Need Apply
Stephen Watt, 16, a senior at Melbourne Central Catholic (FL), a High National Merit Scholar with a 4.4 grade point average, was expelled from his school's National Honor Society for disagreeing with his religion teacher over whether the purpose of marriage is to procreate. Source: Orlando Sentinel
Tell Us Something New!
The Vatican "strongly reaffirmed" its prohibition on divorced and remarried Catholics receiving communion unless the couples refrain from sexual relations. Source: Post-Intelligencer News Services, 7/7/00
Who's Evil Here?
During a July 9 Mass, the Pope attacked the World Gay Pride march in Rome as an offense, saying to do otherwise "would be unfaithful to God the Creator and would not help to distinguish between good and evil." Source: Daily Telegraph [U.K.], 7/10/00
Euphemistically Yours. The Jehovah's Witnesses, which earlier announced it has ended "disfellowshipping"--or excommunicating-- members who defy the group's prohibition on most blood transfusions, issued a clarification that it would still continue to "reject" such members. Source: AP, 6/21/00
Too Much Fred Flintstone
The National Science Foundation announced a new survey of 1,800 Americans showing one-half or fewer know that early humans and dinosaurs did not coexist or that it takes a year for the earth to orbit the sun. A third believe in astrology. Source: AP, 6/19/00
Sole Winning
Nine members of a Japanese cult claiming to cure diseases by inspecting the soles of people's feet were arrested for defrauding believers out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Source: AP, 6/20/00